"I covet your prayers."
Have you ever used that phrase? Heard someone use it?
Did it ever strike you as odd that you would say "I covet..." when one of the Ten Commandments is "Thou shalt not covet"?
Why, if we are told not to covet, would we say "I covet," even if we're referring to prayers?
Covet, as defined by Dictionary.com means "to desire wrongfully, inordinately, or without due regard for the rights of others: to covet another's property."
To desire wrongfully. Now, if we desire prayer for something, that is certainly not a wrongful desire. To covet your prayers would mean that I'm desiring that the prayers that belong to you would belong instead to me. That doesn't even make sense!
So instead of breaking the tenth commandment and coveting prayers, let us instead earnestly desire one another's prayers.
F, H & S Part Two Continued Again
3 years ago
5 comments:
Nice post. I love using words in new ways. I haven't heard "covet your prayers" but probably would have thought it clever without thinking! So thanks for pointing that out! It's true and a great misuse. :)
Uh-oh. I think I've used that phrase recently...
Haha! Love this post. I've heard that phrase before and had similar thoughts. I love talking about misused words - I know I already mentioned the use of "literally" when it can only possibly be "figuratively." The other thing that really gets me going is putting an "ir" in front of regardless...
Yeah, I hear that a lot. I haven't been successful in making people stop.
Interesting. I've heard that phrase (and maybe even used it before) and never thought much about it. Now, I know not to use that phrase.
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